Improvement in automatic signals for railroad crossings



B. WALKER.

Automatic Signals for Railroad Crossings Patented A pril15,1873

AM. PHOT0-LI7HOGRAPHIC c0. umaseonus's PRacsss) UN TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

- RICHARD WALKER, OFMILFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT 1 AUTOMATIC SIGNALS'FOR RIAILROAD cnossmes.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 137,808, dated April 15, 1873; application filed August 30, 1872.

- To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Brennan WALKER, of Milford, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Gates or Danger-Signals for Railroads, of which the following is a specification.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing is a longitudinal vertical section taken in the line AB, showing a front view of my invention with the engine and various casings removed. Fig.

2is a top view, and Figs. 3 and 4 are parts in detail, of my invention.

' My invention consists mainly in a railroad signal, arranged and operating in connection with a series of mechanical devices, as will be more fully explained in due course, so that a projecting swing-clutch connected with a locomotive actingagainst the ends of levers causes the signal to be lowered at the approach and raised after the passage of a train.

In the drawing, a is a post or frame placed at a railroad crossing, and has, projecting horizontally from the front of its upper portion, a shaft, 1), on one end of which is adjusted, so as to be turned with it, a signal, 0, provided at its shorter end with a suitable balance-weight, d, adjusted by means of a slot, d, formed in the end of the signal 0 to allow the admission of a screw or stem, d, connected with the weight cl, or by any other suitable method, to raise and hold the gate or signal nearly erect after the passage of a train. The signal a may be of any suitable material or shape desired, and provided with proper swinging slats 6. Connected with the shaft 12, between a standard, f, that supports one end of the shaft and the front of the post or frame a, is a pulley, g, supplied with a chain or rope, &c., h, which passes under it and connects with the top of a vertical lever, k, that extends downward to the track level, and turns on a pivot, 70, at or near its center, where it is formed with a horizontal arm, Z, projecting from one side, and having a notched end or latch, m, and formed on the top with a head projecting horizontally from the rear, against which abuts the top of a spiral or othersuitable spring, 0, which finds a seat on a screw-nut, 11, that operates up and down in screw-threads formed on a vertical rod, n,so as to graduate the pressure of the spring 0, which, when released, raises the pro jecting arm I and operates the lever k, so as to lower the signal 0, as hereinafter described. The arm I is held down, so as to contract the spring and hold the signal in its erect position, by means of a latched end, q, of a pivoted upright arm, g, which connects at the bottom bya pivot, g, with a horizontal arm, 1, formed to receive and serve as a bearing for a spiral or other suitable spring, 8, the outer end of which bears against a standard, it, through which plays one end of the arm or rod r, to which is connected one end of .a wire or chain, a, the other end of which is attached to a lever, 11, pivoted. near one end and extend ing horizontally toward and on alevel with the track w, near which it ends and is formed with a vertical upright projection, 11. This leverv may be situated at any suitable distance before reaching the crossing that maybe desired. Arranged so as to connect with and disengage from the bottom of the vertical le ver 70 is ahorizontallever, or, turning on apivot, :0, near one end, and extending at the other end toward the track w, near which it is formed with an upright end, 00. Above the arm q is a vertical bar or arm, 3 arranged with slots 3 operating up and down on screws or pins 2, and formed with a notched bottom so as to engage with and hold or disengage from and release the latched end g on or from the notched end or latch m. Pivoted or otherwise connected, so as to rise and fall, with a locomo tive in any suitable position near its bottom, is a curved swing-clutch, E, Fig. 4, formed at the bottom with a horizontal projection, E, that extends over the track so as to engage with the lever ends 1) w. Attached to the 10- comotive, injfront of the upper portion and near the center of the clutch E, are pins or stems F F, arranged as shown in Fig. 4, or in any other suitable manner, to hold the clutch when pressed against the levers a; v, and to prevent its turning beyond the required point. On the side of the post or frame a, projecting forward, is a rest bar or plate, G, for the purpose of supporting the signal a when lowered.

The operation of myinvention is as follows: When a locomotive approaches a crossing the projection E of the clutch E attached to it comes in contact with the vertical end n. of

the lever 22, thus pushing aside the latter, the other end of which draws upon the rod u, contracting the spring 8 and operating the arm q and arm y, so as to unlock and raise the arm I by the release of the spring 0, and actuates the lever It so that its lower end engages with and shoves toward the street one end of the horizontal lever w, the other end of which is thrown in the opposite direction ready for the future action of the clutch E on the arrival at this point of the locomotive; and at the same time the upper end of the lever is is thrown to one side so as to actuate the rope or chain, &c., h, and partly revolve the pulley g and shaft 1), and consequently lower the gate or signal 0. When the locomotive has reached the point at which it is desired the gate should be raised the projection E of the clutch E strikes against the upward projection 50, thereby causing the inner end of the lever .12 to engage with the bottom of the lever k, the arm lof which is thus brought down so as to 'contract the spring 0 and press to one side the top of the arm q, the latch q of which is brought, by the action of the spring 8, on the arm or rod 1' above, so as to look, as shown in Fig. 3, the notched end m of the arm I, the upper end of which arm is, by the contact of the clutch E with the upright'end 00 of the lever or, turned in so as to slacken the chain It and allow the shaft 12 to be revolved in the opposite direction, and, consequently, the signal 0 to be raised by the weight of the balance (1 acting on its shorter end, and thereby tightening the chain or rope, &c., h, and setting the springs 0 s and the otherdevices in their proper positions for the operation of the next train. After the passage of the clutch E the lever v is adjusted to its former position by the ac tion of the spring 8. The levers o w are prevented from going beyond the desired position by stems H K, and may, if desired, be operated by hand or by a wire, &c., connecting them with the station, or by other methods in dependently of the clutch E. The clutch E is arranged to rise over and drop behind the projecting ends c as of the levers v w when the locomotive is run backward, or may, if so desired, be arranged to operate the levers a: 11 either way the locomotive is run.

The several devices above described are protected from the weather and injury by suitable casings, (not shown in the drawing.) 7

To operate the gate or signal by'a return train on the same track or on a double track there are placed on the opposite side of the track two horizontal levers, pivoted as those above described, but each provided at the fulcrum with an arm projecting forward at a right angle, and to the end of which a wire or rod is hinged and passed under the tracks, in a case, to right-angled levers on the side and in a line with the former levers. The lever to lower the signal is to be placed at a proper distance back, as in the first instance, and from it a wire orrod, &c., is to extend and operate the latch-arm in the same direction as the first lever. The other horizontal lever may be placed opposite the signal, and be made to operate the vertical lever k in the same direction as the lever :20 to set the spring 0 for the In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RICHARD WALKER. Witnesses:

CARROLL D. WRIGHT,

SAML. M. BARTON. 

